What is medical weight loss

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Why is a weight loss program supervised by a medical professional thought to have higher success rates than individual efforts taken by those who want to lose weight? Most patients who are looking to lose weight with supervision have already tried to do so on their own and were not successful. A program that is supervised by professionals allows patients to ask questions, receive counseling and be guided in regards to their diet, exercise, medications.

Let’s talk about some data. An article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in April 2015 compared various commercial weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers or Atkins. Researchers have found that supervised weight loss programs where patients were held accountable for their nutritional intake and exercise, were most successful. Such programs include Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.

So this tells us that you don’t have to necessarily go to a doctor’s office to lose weight, right? Well, let’s look at some other studies.

An article published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in October 2014 compared combined behavioral weight management programs versus a single component programs, such as diet only or exercise only interventions. 1000 patients were evaluated a year after they began their respective programs. After a year, a significantly greater weight loss was detected in the combined programs versus diet only and the difference was almost 4.4 lbs. Combined programs versus exercise only, showed a difference of over 13 lbs after one year. Now, it’s important to note that the results of combined behavioral weight loss management and single component programs were very similar short-term but if you are investing yourself and your money, you probably want a successful long-term outcome. If that’s so, combined programs show a better success rate.

So, what are some examples of combined programs? Well, this is what we offer at Pearl Health Clinic. Combined program means that various interventions are used at the same time for the purpose of losing weight. These interventions include frequent meetings, counseling supervision, medical supervision, possible use of medications to lose weight or supplements.

Could supplements really be that important? Sometimes they can be. An article published in February 2014 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that vitamin D depleted patients who were treated with vitamin D supplementation had better success rates with weight loss than those who were not depleted and took vitamin D anyway. How would you know if your vitamin D levels were too low? This is where medical professionals come in. We are able to order laboratory testing and find if there are other factors contributing to your difficulty with weight management.

Sometimes we find that patients are good candidates for medication management. Medications used in weight loss generally help with satiety and the urge to eat. Will medication really help me lose weight, you’re thinking. Let’s look at a study published in the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Journal in August 2013 that describes, among others, the Equip trial of a medication called Qsymia. Three groups of people were gathered; one group received placebo, meaning they thought they were taking Qsymia but did not know for sure. The other two groups took this medication but at different doses. All of the groups were instructed to decrease their calorie intake by 500 cal daily, increase exercise and increase water intake. 5% weight loss was seen in 25% of the placebo group, 60% of the low dose Qsymia and a whopping 83% of the high dose Qsymia. There were patients who lost more weight than that; 15% weight loss occurred in only 6% of the placebo group and almost half of the high dose Qsymia group.

As you can see, supervision and possible medication use matters quite a bit when taking on a serious “project”, such as weight loss. It is also important to make sure that you have access to licensed and board certified professionals. Here at Pearl Health Clinic, we offer supervision with a medical doctor, a nurse practitioner and counselors.

Check out these articles for more information:

Gudzune, K., Doshi, S., Mehta, K., et al. (2015). Efficacy of commercial weight-loss programs: an updated systematic review. Annals of Internal Medicine,162,501-512.

Johns, D., Hartmann-Boyce, J., Jebb, S. & Aveyard, P. (2014). Diet or exercise interventions vs combined behavioral weight management programs: a systematic review and meta-analysis of direct comparisons. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, (114), 1557–1568.

Lonneman, D. J., Rey, J. A., & McKee, B. D. (2013). Phentermine/Topiramate Extended-Release Capsules (Qsymia) for Weight Loss. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 38(8), 446–452.

Mason, C., Xiao, L., et al (2014). Vitamin D3 supplementation during weight loss: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 99(5),  1015-1025.
Location: 2705 E 17th St, Ammon, ID 83406, USA

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